Which Stranded Copper Wire Splice Is Best? Find Out!

Wondering which stranded copper electrical wire repair, splice, or tap method is best? Then look no further than this video for an answer! I'll be testing 8 different splices. Which splicing method has the lowest voltage drop? Find out! DIY electrical repair. Enjoy the video, and be sure to share. Thanks guys!
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[@ProjectFarm]

I've always wondered about this one! Thank you for the terrific video!!

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you enjoyed it! I'm getting ready to watch your video right now!

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

@@electronicsNmore All the nerds gathering...

[@cowboy41231]

@@electronicsNmore when worlds collide! Awesome

[@cabbyhubby]

He stole your thunder, PF ... we still love ya though

[@unity6926]

You know you've made it when PF is a subscriber of yours lol.

[@dondecker3597]

As a former Engineer, I am truly impressed by this video. Congratulations on a job well done. Everything that was important was covered in a very clear and concise manner. You get a gold star for your efforts.

[@Joe_Not_A_Fed]

Fascinating. Ultimately, while the worst connection had almost 3 times more resistance than uncut wire, the worst total resistance difference was so small, that it would be insignificant in virtually any real life applications. It makes me feel better about my twisted wire connections.

[@whitneyschuster2439]

i wish every single explanation or demonstration video was made like this. really impeccable production. super clear, good pacing, no BS, and very sound testing methods. just fabulous.

[@electronicsNmore]

Thanks for the nice comment! I have many other videos like this one, so be sure to check out my video playlists and share.

[@MRCNC1967]

When joining wires together, whether stranded or solid, you can't beat the reliability of a soldered 60/40 rosin connection and then covering with a quality piece of shrink tubing. This video proves it.

[@electronicsNmore]

I've never had a soldered splice fail when done properly. Thanks for watching!

[@illestofdemall13]

@@electronicsNmore I was surprised that the 2% silver didn't do better.

[@electronicsNmore]

@@illestofdemall13 Agree, but the values for soldering were all very close, it was hard to tell. It may have been slightly better.

[@yeahitskimmel]

@@illestofdemall13 you can't do much better than as good as an uncut wire

[@MRCNC1967]

@@illestofdemall13 I was a little surprised too but at 2% it's not enough. Everyone has a spool of 60/40 rosin core, that stuff goes a long way, and I'm always amazed the flux works after years and years of sitting in a drawer.

[@andrewjameslyon]

Thanks for this. I recently repaired a cable on my grandmother's electric wheelchair using a twist & 60/40 solder. I'm glad to see I made a good choice!

[@beakittelscherz5419]

This stuff should be shown in physics class in school. I def. would have enjoyed that! Great vid! Thumps up!

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you liked it! Be sure to share. Thank you

[@HostileHST]

Future colab with Project Farm! WOOT!!! Awesome video!

[@kirkpennell3028]

Awesome video, would have liked to see posi-loc connectors and those new heat shrink and solder at once connectors. Thanks again for the great information

[@electronicsNmore]

If enough people share this video, I will definitely make another. Glad you liked it, and thanks for watching!

[@josephsfields]

Nice job and thanks for taking the time to show your scientific method. You know how we techs love to sit around and expostulate and criticize the techniques of others before and after leaving the shop? Well this video proves that taking the time time and trouble to solder is worth that trouble unless you don't mind a sub par connection.

[@Robnord1]

Interesting! If you do end up doing another, comparing _Wagos_ to wire nuts with a high draw AC load would be appreciated. I'm not quite sold on the new product yet, especially in amp draw situations that near the rated capacity of the wire.

[@electronicsNmore]

If enough people share this video, you'll see a Wago and wire nut video soon. Thanks for watching!

[@CampMoreBarkLess]

I agree, whats the difference between a new Wago and just shoving the wires in the rear of an outlet. The outlets always failed that way, I would like to know what changed.

[@TomCee53]

@@CampMoreBarkLess the main difference with Wago is that it puts pressure between the wire and the contact, where the push-in only contacts against a sharp spring edge, creating a smaller contact resulting in higher heat and possibly more corrosion.

[@CampMoreBarkLess]

@@TomCee53 appreciate the answer, thanks

[@jaycullen9901]

Another awesome video! Very thorough. I've always wondered, too. Thanks!

[@technologyjunkie01]

You always submit great bits of information. Keep it up!

[@electronicsNmore]

Thanks Jon! Be sure to share the video link.

[@thinkingimpaired5663]

Cool I've been wondering this subject for years.

[@stacyp4534]

This is a very good experiment. Good information. I have always soldered my connections.

[@MojoPup]

Nice to see my instincts verified. I've always done a 'twist 'n solder' method with shrink tubing. Only used solderless connection for a) Areas that I couldn't solder, or for items that would need to be removed later. But even then, I tend to solder the stranded wire to the connector.

[@iTzDaNiiLo]

Very nice and informative. Thanks for the time and effort you put into these videos!

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Please share. Thank you

[@solarsynapse]

If you want/need extra physical strength, you can use a Western Union splice like what has been used for overhead power wires. You make a "U" shape for each end, hook them together and twist the tail around the opposite wire. I solder them.

[@Sylvan_dB]

Nice comparison! Appreciate you gathering this data. I'd never have guessed.

[@electronicsNmore]

If this video does very well, I'll make a part 2 with solder seal, wago, etc. Thanks for watching!

[@dpyles9396]

THANK YOU! Excellent video! Clears up some misconceptions I've had.

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad it was helpful! Be sure to look over my extensive video playlists below for many other videos of interest to you, and most importantly take one minute to share a link to my channel with others on social networking sites. Thank you! kzbin.infoplaylists

[@sia3540]

The way you do your videos are the Best!

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you think so! Be sure to share. Thanks

[@sapelesteve]

Terrific video eNm with very interesting results. I am going to send this video to my son for viewing. He works at a marina and they often have to splice wires together. Thanks & I hope that all is well. 👍😉

[@dido1803]

Hi there, this was really awesome testing and review.

[@PhG1961]

Remarkable result ! Well, done !

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you enjoyed the video Philip!

[@karllaun2427]

Another very interesting and informative video. Another one I would like to see is one of those heat shrink connectors with the band of solder built in. I'd expect it to perform as well as the tinned and reflowed connection.

[@electronicsNmore]

I may create a Part 2 video testing solder seal, wire nut, and wago. Thanks for watching Karl

[@Conservator.]

@@electronicsNmore Could you perhaps add non cleaned wires too? Cleaned wires will corrode after some time.

[@budmartin3344]

@@electronicsNmore Good idea to add that test.

[@davidanderson6222]

Wow, perfect test. Always wondered

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you liked it Dave! Please share. Thank you

[@RichardT2112]

I’m disappointed you missed the heat shrink connector with solder paste. Great video none the less!! Thanks

[@electronicsNmore]

After I made the video I said, "Damn, I forgot a solder seal connector". LOL. If enough people share this video and make it worthwhile, there will be a Part 2 with more connectors. Thanks for watching Richard!

[@tylerbennetts8079]

Great video, I like soldered connections and wherever possible I try to make sure the are not under tension in use, I like shrink wrap tubes and I often go over the wrap with liquid tape for better water proofing.

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you liked the video Tyler! Be sure to rate thumbs up and share. Thanks

[@Un_brainwashed]

Thank you!

[@Locksnut]

Thanks appreciate your detail 👍

[@JimmyMakingitwork]

Great video! I’d like to add people need to keep in mind how application greatly effects the desired method, even more so than final resistance variables might. I always assumed the soldered connection will show the least resistance. I’m amazed how many scotch lock connections I see in the automotive field, the other end of the spectrum, lol.

[@motomoto2626]

Excellent video!!! Thanks.

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you enjoyed it! Be sure to check out my wide range of videos and share my channel with others. Thank you

[@MajorCordite]

Excellent videos! Thank you, Sir. 👍

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you enjoyed the video! Be sure to check out my wide range of videos and share my channel with others. Thank you

[@craignehring]

Great data, thanks for going through them. I know that if a wire is subject to really high current load(s) you would want a heavy duty crimp or actual terminal block. Soldering wires that are properly fused is my choice in automotive/marine applications to keep corrosion at bay

[@electronicsNmore]

You're welcome Craig. Thanks for watching!

[@jdarst100]

Good info. Never done that comparison before.

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you enjoyed the video Tim. Be sure to rate thumbs up and share! Thanks

[@brianb5779]

Absolutely great!!!

[@stevek5416]

Great video... Lot's of good info here.

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you enjoyed it! Be sure to share the video link with others. Thank you

[@johntoe6127]

Very interesting. I thought the soldered joint would be almost as good as solid wire, but I never thought it would be BETTER. It makes sense though, that the added thickness would reduce resistance.

[@GerbenWijnja]

It is similar to the "Western Union splice", NASA even made it a technical standard. They concluded that "the solder connection at the splice was as strong or stronger than the un-spliced wires". But it's interesting to see that it's not only stronger, but also conducts better.

[@jfarinacci0329]

good info. thank you.

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad it was helpful! Be sure to share the video link with others. Thank you

[@richardmccombs617]

Great test, thanks

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you liked it Rich! Please share. Thank you

[@DennisHicks78749]

Wonderful confirmation that my soldering efforts were worthwhile. I am curious about my other go-to opion. If I want to save a little time. Sometimes I will use the butt connctors with integral solder and heatshrink insulation. I have assumed this is almost/ as good as soldering because it is soldering. It is more expensive than soldering and sometimes using a heat gun to melt the solder and shrink the insulation puts nearby wiring or components at risk. Otherwise I have assumed it is electrically equivalent and perhaps a better way to seal than using pieces of heat shrink. Thanks for an interesting and helpful video!

[@thebrokenbone]

excellent! thanks for sharing

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you liked it Pete! Be sure to look over my extensive video playlists below for many other videos of interest to you, and most importantly take one minute to share a link to my channel with others on social networking sites. Thanks kzbin.infoplaylists

[@thebrokenbone]

@@electronicsNmore :) been following for some time. always learn something new with your videos. honest thanks.

[@stevebabiak6997]

You should use a “Kelvin bridge” to measure the very low resistance of each test candidate when cold and after the load is disconnected.

[@patnutoris4054]

That is what is "using" as he has his current source separated from his voltage measurement. The specific term Kelvin bridge which does the same thing is used for a special test structure used in two-dimensional structures, i.e. semiconductor/PCB. However, there is a specific type of equipment which are called Kelvin probes/clamps which can be used for cables, which does what he did with 2 equipment (the power supply and multimeter). A more general term for this type of measurement is 4-wire or 4-point measurement.

[@stevebabiak6997]

@@patnutoris4054 - I don’t believe a typical Kelvin bridge would be using 6A of current as in this video, and the Kelvin bridge would give an Ohms reading directly rather than having to calculate that from V/I.

[@patnutoris4054]

@@stevebabiak6997 You are correct, a typical 4-point measurement is using a much lower current to avoid thermal issues as resistance is temperature dependent. The actual current is often dependent on the test object and your measurement resolution. In his case, 0.1-1A should be sufficient but I think the current choice was limited to his load, i.e. equipment. However, this is still a perfectly valid 4-point point measurement for measurement of 1mOhm resistor. Furthermore, Kelvin bridge is a test structure, not an equipment by it self so it is fully dependent on your setup if you read out volt or ohm from your equipment. Personally, I prefer volt+current read-out instead of just Ohm since that gives me the possibility to determine if the current was to high. have a nice day.

[@cowboy41231]

#facts well done sir!

[@RatKindler]

I saw a guy replace the cord in a toaster using butt connectors and had wondered about this since I'd probably have soldered it. Very timely video. Thanks.

[@davidgutting4317]

I’m going to assume a twist on wire nut is about the same as twisting wires together. If you are going to evaluate wire nuts, please consider ones with and without metal inserts. The epoxy was surprising as well as the crimp on connectors. Thanks for doing this test.

[@electronicsNmore]

Hi Dave. I would think the wire nuts would be very similar to my bus wire wrap. Thanks for watching!

[@jon4715]

In one of his other videos, wire nuts were considerably better than the best tap splice.

[@davidgutting4317]

@@jon4715 I had some150w halogen transformers connected with plastic wire nuts a few years back and one of them caught fire inside of a light fixture I designed during testing. We switched over to metal inserts and then to the lever lock type due to my concerns and I caught a lot of flak for using more expensive components on the production line from accounting. It was nice to see some validation for that choice with the tests done in this video.

[@bobbybaucom4489]

Excellent video. Two things come to mind. First, I would love to see the results for those connectors that simultaneously solder & heat shrink. That seems like a really good approach. Second, a major consideration is how the joint holds up over time. Two factors could be tested: a month of vibration and a month of salt water spray. The salt water would not have to be very salty unless you are testing to marine standards. It is just a way of accelerating and simulating normal environmental effects.

[@electronicsNmore]

Glad you enjoyed the video! It wouldn't be an easy test to do. Thanks for watching!

[@hifinsword]

Excellent test! Thank you. I wonder if fanning the strands out and meshing them together, i.e. forcing the fanned wire ends together for the joint, rather than twisting the wires, then soldering, would give a lower resistance. That is how I solder wires starting around 16AWG and up to 8AWG - LiPo battery to ESC extensions.

[@coryulrich6489]

I would really like to see this again with a better butt slice connector. Like one from wirefy for example. And a proper ratcheting crimp used. Your other testing showed that rim connectors usually perform right on par with soldered connections.

[@Locksnut]

If you do decide to do a part 2, would you please include Anderson power poles? It’s used a lot by us hams for quick connect/disconnect. Thanks

[@jp040759]

Great idea. I really enjoyed this topic. The butt splice surprised me. I bet the pinch style splices will degrade over time though. Silver epoxy was impressive.

[@mstover2809]

I have found that ANY splice that is NOT soldered will corrode after awhile UNLESS it was made with a high pressure crimper such that the wires literally fuse together like in an arc welding machine that supplies hundreds of amps of current, in which case the solder will melt!

[@gregzsidisin]

Thanks for publishing this very exacting test. My guess, probably in the comments, is that the soldered connections offer increased conducting cross-section area, albeit over a short length.

[@TomCee53]

And the conductors overlap, creating a lower resistance section.

[@hussainshabbir946]

Could you make a video on soldering? You first put the solder on iron and then touched the wire, while mainstream opinion is to touch the wire first and then transfer solder or else it might result in cold solder joint.

[@GlobalProsperityGroup]

Subbed!!

[@djr3485]

Thanks for the interesting experiment. The results demonstrate that any of the splicing methods shown will produce an acceptable level of voltage drop. Even the worst method is likely to be entirely inconsequential in almost every application I can think of. Several millivolts difference at 6A is very tiny. The more important question then becomes: what is the best method to select for long term reliability, based on the environment in which it is intended to operate.

[@mcg6762]

Nice video, thanks! You could have used you power supply in constant current mode for more consistent current through the wire during measurement. You don't even need a load. Just the wire as a short across the power supply.

[@geoninja8971]

I've always soldered connections where possible - its quicker than any crimper that I've ever used, and you know it isn't going to fail. Now if only I can 100% remember to slide the heatshrink over before I solder!

[@CampMoreBarkLess]

This is a great comparison video. I was shocked at the epoxy and in my opinion Scotch Lock type connectors should be banned they cause more problems.

[@BlankBrain]

I'm surprised the end-butt crimp connector did so poorly. That implies that other crimp connections perform just as poorly. I would expect the crimp connections to degrade over time. If you ever conduct a similar test, a straight wire with a tinned section would also make an interesting reference.

[@electronicsNmore]

Like another viewer said, if the crimping tool was wider, and the tube of the butt splice was thicker, you could expect results very close to soldering. Thanks for watching! Be sure to share.

[@darthbubba866]

I'm surprised that the silver epoxy did that well. Thank you!

[@electronicsNmore]

It's impressive stuff. It's a little pricey though. You get enough to do maybe 10 connections like you saw in the video for 20 bucks. You can cure it in 15 minutes using 200F heat, or wait 24hrs. Once mixed, you must use it.

[@ThriftyToolShed]

Great video. I actually get some comments on my videos about the way I say " Soder" of course they also pick up that I am southern very easily! Lol..

[@electronicsNmore]

Thank you. I'm glad you liked the video. I'm actually sick and tired of all the morons that criticize how Americans pronounce the word. I've been subjected to the stupidity for years.

[@csabakereszturi945]

Good enough connection to me.

[@100vg]

I knew the soldered joints would be the best, but soldered touch being the lowest is surprising. It's the added diameter that makes the junction lower than no splice. A larger diameter AWG means less resistance and a lower Voltage drop, so the soldered connections have the same effect, as long as the two soldered wires have a good mechanical connection. The more solid the mechanical connection, the lower the resistance. The solder holds them touching and adds bulk to the connection, both giving a lower resistance there. It's also not surprising that the tap splice and twist only are the worst. However, I would have thought the butt splice would have done better. Maybe mine are. I have a fairly expensive butt splice crimp tool that flattens more of the butt splice metal onto the stranded wire. Pretty much the entire insertion length of the bare-wire-ends crimp-able splice metal. The crimp section is much wider and has three wire size options. And when I have to use a crimp tool like the one you used, I crimp it twice, close together. The butt splice tool I prefer also crimps with more pressure than the kind you used. It has a click stop for the pressure, kind of like a torque wrench. None the less, this video was quite revealing. I went all the way back before watching todays (10-223-2022) Electrical Wire Connector Pullout Force Tests! Wago, Ideal, Contractor's Choice. Thank you, Scott! Excellent as always!

[@snort455]

I would definetly like to watch a wago vs wire nut showdown.

[@electronicsNmore]

It will happen if enough people share this video. :-)

[@lordofelectrons4513]

Good demo the one splice missing is the wire nut which is used a lot especially in 120 and 240 volt systems would like to see how they perform.

[@electronicsNmore]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/qH6Xg6B9r9Oafs0

[@JasonTHutchinson]

I've been using the 60/40 touch method for years. I always add a layer of heatshrink tubing to prevent shorts. The tubing probably makes little to no difference electrically.

[@johndii2194]

Put some solder on the twist only and the wire wrap while under test.

[@electronicsNmore]

That would have been interesting to see.

[@stevebabiak6997]

The reason that the soldered splice is lower in readings is because the diameter of the conductor at the splice is larger. And the solder helps add to the conductor thickness.

[@electronicsNmore]

As mentioned in the video. Thanks for watching

[@windward2818]

Splicing methods should address failure due to mechanical stress, vibration and over-temperature. A soldered joint should be installed to resist failure due to mechanical stress (pulling and strain relief) and vibration (flexing at the joint). An over-temp event can melt a soldered joint. So a method not shown is to use a non-insulated tinned butt splice (for mechanical support in over temp) and then soldered to reduce intrusion (contamination), with heat shrink applied (perferrably dual wall) to seal the splice. The flux used should be rosin RMA. You can buy a combination butt splice high temp heatshrink which has a solder slug. So you crimp, heat with a heat gun, melt the solder and shrink the tubing all in one operation. The splices are see-though so you can examine the soldered joint as you heat (solder) and after it is soldered.

[@EngineerMikeF]

Great vid. I'm willing to bet crimp connectors using a superior crimp tool (Klein or Channelock) would improve on the sheet metal crimp tool. Pro grade tools have wider crimp profile so more crimp contact area & a more reliable mechanical connection w/out breaking copper strands in my experience.

[@electronicsNmore]

Yes. Using a thick walled butt splice connector with a high pressure ratcheting crimper, would give you a connection very close to a soldered connection. Thanks for watching!

[@gatorwing6231]

You are correct. Heat shrink connectors crimped with the correct tool are the best. Solder connections that are not located in a cabinet or enclosure like a radio are not allowed in aircraft. Soldered will cause a failed inspection every time. The connectors must not have a seam unless the seam has been brazed. For connectors larger than #10, I use a 10 ton hydraulic crimper. The best source of large connectors and about anything else electronic that I have found is Pacer Electronics in Fort Lauderdale Fl. They even carry ultra high temperature silicone coated silver plated wire (A flame won't melt insulation) and heat shrink tubing (Both regular & expensive epoxy coated) They are the prime supplier to the aviation & marine industry.

[@spagamoto]

Great info. I've always had my suspicions but I never actually did the due diligence. Never would have called the epoxy! I wonder if the temperature readings need adjustment due to the differences in emissivity of insulation, copper, solder, etc?

[@electronicsNmore]

Thank you. Very possible the temp measurements were a little off.

[@dalehoffman4405]

Actually, the emissivity of a shiny bare metal surface can be very low and be really difficult or even impossible to accurately measure temperatures with an IR camera. I inspect a lot of electrical equipment with infrared and bare metal surfaces can "hide" a lot of heat because their low emissivity surfaces just don't emit that much radiation. Applying heat shrink to the area of interest would solve the measurement problem. Set e to 0.95 and you'll get accurate temps. Hate to sound like a know it all, but I see a lot of guys putting to much faith in the temps spit out by IR cameras. Cool experiment though. Keep them coming.

[@garymucher9590]

Lap joint or twisted lap joints are the superior way to join any inline splice. And that is for a few reasons. Obviously the least resistive way. But also it doesn't add to the diameter of the split so heat shrink doesn't make the joint bulky and flows easily with other wires in a bundle.

[@BenMitro]

That was very good info, thank you. I wonder how they will go after a little aging, say if the samples were kept outside in the elements for a week?

[@electronicsNmore]

I usually seal all my splices tight, but just leaving them exposed for a test.......an interesting video idea. :-)

[@BenMitro]

@@electronicsNmore I do too (seal splices), but once in a while, one splice will have air ingress and will corrode, so practically you probably want to know about this worse case condition. I'm glad you like it as a video idea.

[@LawpickingLocksmith]

Let's do the twist? Maybe not such a good idea!

[@electronicsNmore]

LOL. All the splices tested did well, but some are definitely better than others for higher current use.

[@Richard_L_Y]

Would have liked to know about the efficiency and reliability of 'Heat Shrink Self-Solder Butt Splice Connectors' in comparison (which I was actually looking to find out)!

[@ratrod47]

Interesting video. I am in process of retrofitting TBI EFI system in a hot rod. I have connections to ring terminals that need terminating and also have 22 gage ECM wires that should be lengthened with splices. But I am Leary of doing this What is the method for pre cleaning the wire conductor before crimping or soldering ? Any advice / comments would be welcome and appreciated. Thank you.

[@nickmcwilliams685]

Flux and tin the wires with 63/37 solder. Use the wire wrap method shown here with busswire. Add heat shrink over the splice, position the splice where it will not be flexed. Use a crimp if you are not able to make a proper solder joint. As a person who pays his mortgage with a soldering iron I am of the opinion that most of the automotive reluctance against soldered connections/splices stems from poor workmanship. This is good advice if you cannot make a good solder connection. Proper solder joints are more reliable and a better connection than just crimped but require some skill.

[@spelunkerd]

The more one learns about this topic, the more complex it becomes. Even though butt crimping didn't fare so well, it is still a mainstay for automotive manufacturers because it is quick and less prone to vibration-induced failure years later. I believe they get away with a higher resistance connection because most automotive circuits have enough internal resistance to make a tiny increase irrelevant. The other complexity is how a solder connection may perform if current is high enough to generate significant heat. ABYC conventions say that soldered connections also need a mechanical method of connection (twisted wires, etc), so that when the soldered joint heats up, the mechanical connection won't let it shift. Practically, most automotive mechanics don't do that when they solder. I find the topic humbling, but in the end it's about finding a method that works for you.

[@stephenwhite5444]

Have you ever tested the resistance of the solder seal connectors? They are basically waterproof shrink with some low temp melt solder. I'm wondering if they have substantially more resistance than a standard solder job.

[@LTVoyager]

Nice test. Do you plan to do a pull strength test on the wire and splices? Seeing the mechanical strength would be a great addition to the electrical performance.

[@electronicsNmore]

I would, but this video has a severe lack of views for the highly popular subject matter. I don't think it would be worth my time.

[@LTVoyager]

@@electronicsNmore That’s interesting as I thought it was a very interesting test that I was considering doing myself. Obviously, my idea of interesting isn’t the same as the unwashed masses. 😂

[@xxjusxstarxx]

@@electronicsNmore the few of us that are here, GREATLY appreciate your work. Thank you

[@michaelrobinson9643]

my solder iron takes way too long to heat even small wires to the point where solder flows to tin or properly solder. large plugs etc sink heat to the point where I'm having melted insulation at my clamps before the solder flows. What temp solder iron do you recommend for general 12awg - 18awg wire?

[@JD-yz8cn]

I'd be curious to see how something like a Wago connector performs

[@rootcanal7188]

Can I ask a somewhat related question? Could the positive and negative terminals of a 12 volt battery (used for solar) be connected (with battery cables) to an XT60 connector, that plugs into a portable power station? Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

[@solarguy6043]

Another useful test would be the physical strength of each of those joining methods.

[@electronicsNmore]

Maybe in the future if enough people share this video. :-)

[@stevebabiak6997]

I wish you would have done a wire wrap with solder too; I think that might perform even better than the other soldered connections.

[@electronicsNmore]

The result would've been almost identical to twist and solder.

[@trench01]

a bit of a project farm feel but for repair comparison. nice. But the same issue I have with project farm is with this as well in that your intro image would have been good to show a visual comparison with the scale in a way to ass all methods in a single image with its ranking. You may not agree it is much but it helps.

[@electronicsNmore]

The video thumbnail image? I don't understand what you're saying.

[@trench01]

@@electronicsNmore yes the thumbnail

[@electronicsNmore]

I lined up all the splices, I felt that was more than sufficient.

[@grahamturner6119]

Splice and soldered best _/ don't like through crimps/ got lots I will never use / bin job

[@JohnDoe4321]

I've heard that automotive wiring must use crimp splices, because soldered splices fail over time due to vibration. I wonder if this is really true?

[@TdrSld]

It is, I have worked with a couple of race teams and they will never solder a splice. The only place they may solder at a pin is at the crimp in a large connector (think the pins in a ECU connector) that will have strain relief built into the connector. They do it to prevent the bundle of wires that are most the time braided or twisted together from pulling the crimp apart.

[@electronicsNmore]

I've soldered connections on my jet ski, scooter, car, and never had one fail. If the connection is subjected to constant small movements, crimp.

[@budmartin3344]

Great demo, yet people paid thousand of dollars for school but they never show this kind of demo.

[@andrzejzielinski6526]

what about ultrasonic splices?

[@yeahitskimmel]

Now this is what I wanna see, gives me piece of mind on my splices out in the world. Even feel better about a few butt-splice sprees as a kid. I've seen strength tests but I don't exactly need to use wire as rope very often

[@Conservator.]

It would have been interesting to show the resistance of not cleaned and twisted wires too. They’ll end up not cleaned after a while so that would tell you the result alter some time.

[@electronicsNmore]

True, the results in the video were for cleaned stranded copper wire, or new stranded copper wire that's bight/shiny when stripped.

[@ACommenterOnYouTube]

Unless you are trying to squeeze thru every possible electron thru that splice, i don't think it matters.

[@electronicsNmore]

For a wire drawing high current you'd want the best splice, but for low to moderate current any of them will work.

[@dennisford2000]

Now how about the “ factory” splices in wiring harnesses

[@cobar5334]

Great video. I just wish you said 'solder' rather than 'sodder'

[@electronicsNmore]

You didn't see my comment in the video??

[@jerichojoe307]

Would have been nicer to actually see the temperature gradient without you having some big bold crosshair right in the middle. Next time you do a test like this try using a circle ⭕ for better visualization of the actual connection

[@RobertLeBlancPhoto]

Is there one splice type that provides: Low resistance. Strength. Water resistance. ?

[@beachboardfan9544]

Why is resistance represented as millivolts instead of ohms?

[@electronicsNmore]

Hi there. I was measuring the voltage drop across the splice, which is an excellent way to determine the level of resistance. Thanks for watching!

[@jean-francoisavon62]

There is most likely an instrumentation error on your thermal imaging of the non-soldered wires. The wire looks significantly colder than the soldered junctions. It makes no sense, since this is the point of high resistance, thus higher temperature. The probable explanation is that these wires are very clean. They appear colder because the emissivity of shiny, non-oxidized metal is much lower than that of the wire insulator (emissivity typically around .95) or most other oxidized surfaces. In the case of the soldered joints, there is probably a thin coat of flux that brings up the emissivity around .95. The emissivity of shiny copper is probably below 0.1 Here's a handy table of infrared emissivity for many materials. ennologic.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Ultimate-Emissivity-Table.pdf

[@electronicsNmore]

The temp readings probably weren't super high accuracy, but still useful. I use the same setting for inspecting electrical panels(which have insulated wires, as well as bare copper or aluminum). I don't see the temp difference you see.

[@snoopyjc]

I’m surprised you didn’t try using a wire nut

[@electronicsNmore]

Next week you'll see that in my AC wire splice video.

[@fitybux4664]

Why is house wiring never soldered together, if every kind of mechanical bonding in your video was inferior to soldered? 😆 I have to think the reason is probably something like: Because then electricians would all need to carry soldering irons. (Obviously, you still need to mechanically support the wires, and insulate them.) If I was to twist house wiring, then solder it, then wire nut it, I think this would be the best connection. But it would probably violate code, and it would make old gray electricians go like: "WTF IS THIS??? WHY???"